2000
#8,705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,475
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Christen
A surname derived from the Latin name Christian, meaning "follower of Christ" or "belonging to Christ."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,559 Americans carry the last name Christen. That puts it at #9,930 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,306 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Christen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 96,306
Census rank
#9,930
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,104 bearers of the surname Christen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9930th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Christen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Christen
The surname Christen originated in Germany, where it first appeared around the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "Christen," meaning Christian or follower of Christ. The name was initially used to refer to those who had converted to Christianity or those who displayed strong Christian values.
In the early days, the name Christen was most commonly found in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where Christianity had a strong presence. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae and the Monumenta Germaniae Historica.
The name Christen gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly during the Crusades, when many individuals adopted names related to their religious beliefs. It was also a common practice for children to be given names that reflected their parents' religious devotion or the circumstances surrounding their birth.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Christen was Johann Christen, a German nobleman who lived in the 14th century. He was known for his involvement in the local politics of Saxony and his support for the Holy Roman Empire.
Another notable figure was Hans Christen, a 16th-century German painter and engraver. He was renowned for his religious-themed works, which often depicted scenes from the life of Christ and other biblical narratives.
In the 17th century, the name Christen appeared in various records across Europe, including the Netherlands and England. One such individual was Willem Christen, a Dutch merchant who established trade routes between Amsterdam and the East Indies.
During the 18th century, the surname Christen was found in various parts of Germany, as well as in Switzerland and Austria. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Friedrich Christen, a German theologian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 19th century, the name Christen gained prominence in the United States, as German immigrants brought the surname with them to their new homeland. One notable American with the surname Christen was Frederick Christen, a businessman and philanthropist from Philadelphia, who was instrumental in establishing several charitable organizations and educational institutions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Christen
Among Census respondents with the surname Christen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Christen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Christen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 2,782
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 110
- Two or more races3.3% · 101
- Black or African American2.3% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Christen
Christen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,626
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,813
+338 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 79 places
2020
#9,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,104
-709 bearers (-18.6%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 1,304 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,705 | 3,475 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,626 | 3,813 | 1.29 | +338 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 79 places |
| 2020 | #9,930 | 3,104 | 1.04 | -709 bearers (-18.6%) | Down 1,304 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Christen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,626 | #9,930 | -15.1% |
| Count | 3,813 | 3,104 | -18.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.04 | -19.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Christen bearers went from 3,813 to 3,104 (-18.6% change). The surname moved down 1,304 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,626 to #9,930.
FAQ
Christen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Christen?
Name Census estimates that about 3,559 living Americans carry the surname Christen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,306 residents.
How common is Christen?
Christen ranks #9,930 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,104 people with the surname Christen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,559), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Christen.
Has Christen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Christen went from 3,813 recorded bearers to 3,104. That is a decrease of 709 (-18.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,626 to #9,930.
What does the Census say about the background of Christen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Christen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Christen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (2,782 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Christen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Christen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Christen mean?
A surname derived from the Latin name Christian, meaning "follower of Christ" or "belonging to Christ." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Christen (1.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Christen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.